Demonstrating Equity Through the Convening of Expert Panels

Population-specific data gaps for a range of demographic characteristics, including race, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, and disability status, inhibit efforts to protect and improve public health. To identify system and policy levers for addressing these data inequities, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) convened five expert panels to inform deliberations of the National Commission to Transform Public Health Data Systems (as well as other articles in this supplement). This article reflects the experiences and observations of the authors, RWJF program officers who worked with the expert panels. It provides a brief overview of the process for selecting and convening the expert panels, how this process demonstrated principles of equity, and key themes that emerged across the panels. The processes RWJF used to develop and support the expert panels reflect the Foundation's effort to challenge orthodoxies in research and philanthropy that perpetuate and exacerbate disparities in health and well-being.